This invention relates generally to vehicle towing and winching mechanisms, and particularly to a new and improved towing vehicle in the form of a tow truck which includes a novel combination of boom structure and winching and lifting apparatus.
Towing vehicles are relatively expensive and often times are limited in use because of the employment of specialized boom, winching and lifting apparatus. Many of the problems encountered with the use of such vehicles arise from the design, position or location of the vehicle which is to be towed. Often times cars are closely parked or are immobilized at locations where it is difficult, if not impossible, to move the cars with existing equipment. Even when possible, the operation may be tedious and clumsy. It is common for cars to be parked on streets, in parking lots, or the like, so close to each other that if a car has to be removed either because of mechanical failure or because of a traffic violation or accident, a towing vehicle cannot remove the immobilized vehicle without considerable maneuvering and loss of time, if indeed the connection can be made at all.
A particular problem resides in the fact that present towing vehicles require the immobilized car to be lifted or winched only from the rear or side of the towing vehicle. That is because the winching, lifting and towing apparatus normally is mounted on the rear of the towing vehicle, normally on a rear bed. It would be highly desirable to provide means by which the towing vehicle can be simply maneuvered so that the front end thereof is near the immobilized vehicle. However, prior art equipment does not provide any means by which the immobilized vehicle can be winched or lifted from the front of the towing vehicle, except by the use of overhead boom structures which require substantial overhead clearances.
Another problem arises from the fact that prior art equipment normally utilize two different types of sling assemblies normally associated with the boom of the vehicle. One assembly comprises a "wheel lift sling" which is connected to and depends from the rear, free end of the boom. The wheel lift sling engages beneath the wheels of an immobilized vehicle whereupon the vehicle is lifted and towed by the boom, through the wheel lift sling. A second type of sling assembly is mounted directly on the rear of the towing vehicle and engages beneath the immobilized vehicle, with flexible straps or belts wrapped about the end of the immobilized vehicle to prevent damage thereto during towing. Heretofore, the use of either sling assembly has been heretofore mutually exclusive or selective. It would be highly desirable to provide a towing vehicle wherein both types of sling assemblies can be mounted on one vehicle for selective use at any time, without removing either sling assembly from the vehicle, and with neither sling assembly interfering with the operation of the other when in use.
The present invention is directed to providing a new and improved towing vehicle, boom, winching and lifting apparatus which solves the above problems and satisfies the above needs.